ON THE main sponsor of BOARD on the board from the pitch to the boardroom Working together to usher in a new era of diversity at football’s top table CONTENTS 07 For THe 20 GovernAnce ForUm Elizabeth Muir For THe pFA Oshor Williams FUTUre FUsion senior editor Lee Hart Art director Dermot Rushe 28 contributing editor Lee Hall photography PA Photos, Click Jones, Joe Branston commercial manager 04 welcome 22 sUrrey coUnTy FA Mike Vincent From Karl George MBE, creator of the The importance of ensuring your Effective Board Member programmes and organisation is fully representative of those On The Board is published on behalf of the PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor OBE. playing the game. Governance Forum and the Professional Footballers Association by Future Fusion, a division of Future Publishing THe FA TridenT Ltd. Registered office: Quay House, The 07 23 Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA. Companies/ Greg Dyke and Dame Heather Rabbatts The innovative housing provider has found individuals included in this publication does explain why the game’s governing body is numerous benefits in being an Effective not imply endorsement by the Governance firmly behind On The Board. Board Member supporter. Forum, the PFA or the Publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the consent of the PFA. 08 FerdinAnd & rAmsey 24 joHnny erTl Graduates Les Ferdinand and Chris Ramsey The ex-Portsmouth star and On The Board explain how On The Board has helped alumni is using the skills he’s learned on the them in their directorial roles at QPR. board of the Pompey Supporters’ Trust. 13 neHemiAH UcHA 27 lmA & KpmG The Midlands-based housing association The League Managers Association and embraces good governance and diversity financial services leader KPMG – two varied and is an official sponsor of On The Board. sectors, both promoting diversity on boards. We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from well-managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. Future Publishing and its paper suppliers have been independently certified in accordance with the rules 14 GrAduate proFiles 28 Ken monKoU of the FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®). Our proud roll call of the 51 graduates of A PFA Diversity and Equality Officer, Ken On The Board since the programme describes how On The Board can help you began in 2013. discover more about yourself. 20 cHris HUGHTon 30 THe pfa The Brighton boss on planning for life On The Board graduate and PFA Assistant away from the dugout and how the Director of Education Oshor Williams on the course has boosted his managerial skills. value of the progamme to PFA members. THEPFA.COM 03 WELCOME first met Karl George in 2013 when he and Michael Johnson approached me with the idea of running a governance programme for footballers and those connected to the sport. It was clear at that point that he was a leader in the field of governance, he was passionate about his field and that he genuinely wanted to help rectify the issue of a lack of diversity in the boardrooms and senior tiers of the sport. As Chief Executive at the PFA, I have seen this Iissue continue to challenge the game that I love and felt this should be another part of our equalities campaign for inclusion off the field as well as on. As the main sponsor of On The Board, the Effective Board Member programme for current and ex-footballers and those working in the sport, the PFA is demonstrating to the world that if you’ve had experience in the game you can bring that experience to the boardroom no matter what background you are from. Presently, the dugouts and sidelines of football do not represent the diversity on the pitch. Supporting our players to become competent and effective board members, coaches and managers and educating them about governance, ethics and decision-making will ensure the longevity of our reputation as one of the best footballing nations and players’ unions. Governance is not only about what we are doing now – it’s about the future. Gordon Taylor OBE Chief Executive Professional Footballers’ Association – main sponsor of On The Board 04 EFFECTIVEBOARDMEMBER.CO.UK am delighted that I have the opportunity to work with the Professional Footballers’ Association, The FA and several organisations in promoting boardroom diversity within football through the delivery of On The Board. As one of a series of Effective Board Member programmes* and now entering its fourth year, On The Board is continuing to demonstrate that players can become valued contributors in the boardroom. The question of diversity on boards goes beyond Ithe sports sector – as reports such as ‘Women on Boards’, authored by Lord Davies in 2011 with its subsequent follow up reports, suggests. However, in sport and particularly in football, there is marked disparity between the number of BAME players on the “We are very proud to be working pitch and those who go on to be board members or senior coaches or managers within the top tiers. in association with EBM, delivering Having been a board member and served many organisations for a number of years, I have continually their programmes across the seen a lack of diversity in the place of influence, which is typically at the top of an organisation. This lack of Caribbean and thoroughly enjoy the diversity extends beyond ethnicity and reaches to many of the other protected characteristics, including delivery style and quality of teaching age and gender. from Karl George” In my opinion, recruitment for board members should be based on competency, skill and experience. Bruce Scott, Partner, PwC Jamaica Competent board members are the most valuable resource in any organisation. However, if we aren’t proactive in finding the talent that is prevalent in groups in National Governing Bodies of Sport. They football – or we neglect to nurture the next found that only 2% of chairs and those on their boards generation of leaders – unfortunately the were from BAME groups, with 3% being represented demographics of our current boards will not change in the executive decision-makers category. for the foreseeable future. In only three years, On The Board has achieved The recent high-profile coverage of governance success in the boardroom with examples such as Les failures at FIFA, in athletics and in tennis demonstrate Ferdinand, Nathan Blake, Michael Johnson and Johnny that there is a responsibility on us all to ensure that – Ertl being just the beginning of changing the face of from the smallest community club through to the boardrooms in football. highest tier – governance becomes an integral part of how football operates. One of the benefits of a diverse Karl George MBE board is the potential for challenge and scrutiny, Managing Director at The Governance Forum, which reduces the likelihood of groupthink and international governance consultant and creator passivity in the boardroom. of the Effective Board Member programmes Sporting Equals published their report ‘Who’s On Board, Evaluating Diversity in Sports Leadership’ to *More information about the Effective Board Member highlight the current position of people from BAME programmes can be found on page 2. THEPFA.COM 05 the FA’s greg dyke and heather rabbatts are leading advocates of on the board. T HE FA: Supporting ON THE Board Greg Dyke and Heather Rabbatts on why the game’s governing body is behind On The Board The Football Association has been a a closed system but opens itself up so CEO Caroline McRoyall: “Soye has been a supporter of the On The Board we can recruit the best possible talent.” member of the Surrey County FA since programme since its inception. Not only With 14 graduates appointed onto 2012, serving on our Equality Committee. has Wembley Stadium hosted the boards from the first two years of the We recognised his potential as a future previous two graduation ceremonies but course, and 65% director and FA Chairman Greg Dyke has of the overall nominated him demonstrated a keen personal interest in cohort gaining “Let’s use On The for On The Board. the programme, visiting students during board experience, We are delighted their hours at St George’s Park. participants are Board to ensure that after “If you look at the people who run having the finishing his football and sit on football-related opportunity to put football is no longer training he boards they are still overwhelmingly the theory of applied for a white and male,” said Dyke. “That has to corporate a closed system” position on our change and I believe On The Board will governance, legal board and I am help bring about that change.” liabilities and confident he will Another On The Board advocate at trustee responsibilities into action. make a significant contribution to the the top of The FA’s hierarchy is Dame progress of the county.” Heather Rabbatts: “The success of On benefitting from on the board The FA will continue to support The Board is about a collective Two County FAs benefiting from On The programmes like On The Board and responsibility, where we all accept that Board are Shropshire and Surrey, who others within the Effective Board we need to make a difference and then have co-opted Dave Regis and Soye Member family, in order to ensure that having the will to enact to make those Briggs respectively onto their boards. football is reaching the widest possible changes happen. “The On The Board scheme has helped talent pool of potential board members. “The On The Board programme is one me widen my skillset and equip me with of the steps.